On August 8th InterTradeIreland will launch an exciting new pilot programme, 'Elevate', which will provide free one on one support to producers.

The programme objective will be to open up new export opportunities in Northern Ireland for you and give you support to strengthen your business by providing you with a food expert. We have been working in the Northern Ireland market for many years now and can bring you a wealth of experience. Many producers contact us on an ongoing basis looking for one on one mentoring but are not able to fund the process themselves. This is a unique opportunity to open up new business in Northern Ireland and get advice and support from ourselves. I have been accepted as an industry expert and market advisor on this programme as has my colleague Yvonne Scully. Only 50 producers will be accepted on this pilot programme and this is not confined to food producers, so competition will be stiff. You need to react today.

Who is eligible?

• "Small" companies looking to increase their sales outside of their local/domestic market
• Companies with 10 employees or less (preference given to companies of this size)
• Must be registered in NI/ROI
• Your turnover must be below €1.2m
• Companies must be trading longer than 18 months
• Less than 30% of your business must be currently in Northern Ireland

Programme Features & Benefits:

• Up to €11,000 worth of advice and assistance to help small companies become export ready, identify new markets/customers across the island of Ireland and win new business
• Elevate is a voucher scheme which is 100% funded by InterTradeIreland - so companies do not have to provide matching funding
• Companies will receive one to one advice and support from industry/trade experts
• Support will be delivered in 2 stages:
• Export Readiness Assessment (Industry Expert)
• Sales Development/Market Entry Support (Trade/Marketing Expert)
• At the end of the programme, the company will have a sales development plan which will identify new customers and markets and help increase their export sales in NI/ROI

Further information on when and how to apply, please contact james@jamesburke.ie as soon as possible, as places are limited